Current Affairs for IAS Exams - 22 September 2014

National

Restrict MGNREGS only tribal and poor areas

•Union Minister of Rural Development Nitin Gadkari has proposed that the MGNREGS be restricted to only tribal and poor areas and the permissible labour to material ratio of expenses be changed from the current 60:40 to 51:49.

• Even as the current upper limit in expenditure is not being met, the government wants to increase this from 40 to 49 per cent. The change will increase the presence of contractors in the job scheme and squeeze the funds available for wages.

International

Ashraf Ghani as the next Afghan President

• Former Finance Minister Ashraf Ghani was declared Afghanistan’s next President on Sunday, hours after signing a power-sharing deal with his rival Abdullah Abdullah that ended a prolonged standoff over the disputed result.

• Mr. Abdullah will now nominate his choice for the new post of “Chief Executive Officer” (CEO), which will be similar to Prime Minister — setting up a tricky balance of power as Afghanistan enters a new era.

• The White House welcomed Sunday’s power-sharing deal, which it said “helps bring closure to Afghanistan’s political crisis”. “We look forward to... the conclusion of the Bilateral Security Agreement,” it added in a statement. Gaza truce talks with Hamas on September 23rd

• Israel said it would send a delegation to attend indirect Gaza truce talks with Hamas in Cairo next week, although a Minister said they would likely achieve nothing.

• Egypt, which has played a key role in the talks, had initially invited both sides to resume talks on September 17 but it was pulled forward